Door closers



May 29, 1962 H. J. HENDRICK ETAL 3,035,329

' DOOR CLOSERS Filed Aug. 6, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 35/3 3 I mvsmons Ei 1,4 /W

ATTORNEYS May 29, 1962 H. J. HENDRICK ETAL 9 DOOR CLOSERS Filed Aug. 6,1958 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 mvmons ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,036,329 DOOR CLOSERS Hobart J. Hendrick, Hamden, and Fritz C. Benson,West Haven, Conn., assignors to The H. B. Ives Company, New Haven,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Aug. 6, 1958, Ser. No. 753,4375 Claims. (Cl. 16-80) This invention relates to a door closer and moreparticularly to a device to hold in closed position a door of relativelylight weight such as a screen door, closet door or cupboard door, forexample. It will be understood, however, that it may be applied to otherdoors or hinged closure members as well.

In connection with manipulation of closure members it is desirable tohave means to insure that the door is tightly closed. When such devicesare spring operated, as is usually the case, the spring is usuallytensioned by the opening of the door and the greater the distance towhich the door is open, the greater will be the tension imposed upon thespring and, therefore, the greater will be the resistance to the openingmovement of the door. This is undesirable in some respects in that it isonly necessary for the closing mechanism to act during a small part ofthe range of movement of the door, that is, the part toward the end ofthe closing movement.

It is contemplated by the present invention to provide door closingmeans which will be operative through only a small part of the range ofmovement of the door and be inoperative during the remainder of suchmovement. As the device is spring actuated and the spring tensioned bythe opening movement of the door, the resistance offered by the springto the opening movement will only be felt through a small range andthereafter the spring will have no effect on the movement of the dooreither to resist its opening or to close it. However, when the door isbeing closed, the spring will take over at a time when the door reachesa point near its closed position and thereafter will effect a closingforce upon the door and insure its being returned to its final position.4

One object of the present invention is to provide a spring-operateddoor-closing mechanism which will be tensioned by the initial portion ofthe opening movement of the door and will exert a closing force upon thedoor only when the door nears its closed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a doorclosing mechanismof the character described which will be simple in construction,economical to manufacture, and efficient in operation in that it willinsure the door closing to its final position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a doorclosingmechanism provided with spring-actuating means to apply a closing forceto the door during a predetermined part of the range of movement of thedoor but which will be inactive during the remainder of such movement.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features andcombinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a door and door frame havingthe improveddoor-closing mechanism applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the mechanism applied to adoor showing the parts in the position occupied when the door is closed;5

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 Showing the parts in the positionoccupied when the door is open;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on lne 6--6 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the position of the partswhen the door nears its closed position.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown inthe drawings a door frame 10' and a door 11 hinged to the frame at 13 inthe usual manner. Secured upon one of these members and in this instanceto the door 11 is a channel-shaped elongated guide member 14 provided atone side with a depending flange 15 which may be secured to the door byscrews 16.

Secured to the door frame or lintel is a casing 17 having the improveddoor-closing mechanism mounted therein. As shown more especially inFIGS. 2, 5 and 6, this casing is of substantially U-shaped constructionalthough its particular configuration may be varied. A pin 18 is securedin the upper and lower walls of the frame 17, and upon this pin isrotatably mounted a disklike member 19 having a projecting arm 20. Asthe thickness of the disk 19 is not as great as the depth of the case17, suitable spacing washers may be placed above and below the disk tohold it in place, one of these washers being shown in dotted lines at21. As shown more especially in FIGS. 3, 4 and 7, the disk 19 is alsoprovided with a projection or tooth 22 at one side thereof, while beingcircular in shape over the greater part of its area. A tension spring 23is secured at one end to the arm 20, as shown at 24, and the other endof this spring secured at 25 to th casing so that, when the spring istensioned, it will tend to rotate the disk 19 in a counterclockwisedirection, as shown in the drawings.

A second generally circular disklike member 27 is rotatably mounted inthe casing upon a pivot sleeve 28, this sleeve having its'ends peenedover at 29 to secure it to the casing. This disk member may be held inplace by suitable spacing washers 30 placed above and below the same, asshown in FIG. 6.

The disk 27 is provided with a recess or notch 31 which in apredetermined position of the parts will receive the projection or tooth22, the recess 31 having an abrupt surface 32 to be engaged by acomplemental surface 33 upon the projection 22 as will be laterexplained.

Secured to or integrally formed with the disk 27 is an arm 34- whichprojects from the casing (the latter being open at one side and at itsends), the arm 34 having a bent end 35 turned inwardly, to the door soas to overlie the guideway or track in the member 14. A pin 36 isloosely mounted in the end 35 of the arm 34, this pin being provided atits upper end with a disk or head 37 and at its lower end with a similarmember 38 which is slidably received in the channel guidew-ay or trackin the member 14.

The casing 17 may be secured to the door frame by means of the screws 39and 40. The screw 39 is passed upwardly through the upper and lowerwalls of the casing 17 as shown, while the screw 40 may be insertedthrough the sleeve 28. With this construction the casing will be rigidlymounted upon the door frame while at the same time the screws will notinterfere with the movement of the closing mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 3 the door is in closed position with the arm 34substantially parallel to the plane of the door and the disk 38 on thepin 36 disposed adjacent one end of the guide member 14. It will also benoted that the shoulder or abrupt surface 33 upon the disk 19 is inengagement with the shoulder 32 of the recess 31 in the disk 27. Whenthe door is moved to open position about its hinge the disk 27 will berotated in a counterclockwise direction and by the engagement of theshoulders 32 and 33 just referred to, the spring 23 will be placed undertension. Upon a further movement of the door the shoulder 32 will rideout ofengagement with the shoulder 33, which disengagement occurs upon aslightly greater opening movement than shown in FIG. 7. From this pointuntil the door reaches substantially its full open position, as shown inFIG. 4, the circular edge of the disk 27 will ride freely over the edgeof the disk 19 and tooth the arm about its pivot.

3 22 and effect no further rotation of the disk 19 or the arm 20.Therefore, as soon as the shoulders 32 and 33 are disengaged, the spring23 will no longer oppose the further opening movement of the door butwill remain in its initially tensioned position. Thus the greater partof the opening movement of the door is effected without opposition fromthe spring.

When the door is being closed, the spring 23 and the disk 19 areinactive during'its movement from the position shown in FIG, 4 until itreaches approximately the position shown in FIG. 7. At that time therecess 31 will have been rotated to such a position that the shoulder 33on the disk 19 will again engage the shoulder 32 on the disk 27, asshown in FIG. 7. At this time the spring will take over and exert aclosing force upon the door to move it to its final closed position.

As described the pin 36 is loosely mounted in the end '35 of the arm34so that, if'circumstances require it, the

mechanism may be mounted in a reverse position and the disk 37 eng-agedwith the channel of the track 14, the loose connection of the pinpermitting it to slide through the arm and, therefore, space the disk 37below the frame member as is'the disk 38 as illustrated. a

While we have shown andv described a preferred embodiment of ourinvention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to allo'ftthe details shown, but is capable of modification and variationwithin the spirit of V the invention and Within the scope of the claims.

What we claim is: 7 1. Mechanism for controlling the movement of amovable member hinged to a stationary member, said mechanism comprisingan arm pivotally connected to one of said members and slidably connectedto the other of said members whereby movement of said movable member 'onits hinge will move said arm toand fro, a spring anchored to said one ofthe members and adapted to urge said arm about its pivot in onedirection and resist movement thereof in the other direction, meansoperably connecting said spring to the am only during a predeterminedpart of the movement of the armiin either direction and permittingmovement of the arm without further spring'action during theremain'derof its range of movement, said connecting meansycomprising a, generallycircular portion of the arm disposed about its pivot, a pivoted memberadjacent said portion to which said spn'ngis connected at a pointeccentric to its pivot, and

' the generally circular portion of said arm and said pivoted memberhaving interengageable members operativelytengaged during a part only ofthe swinging movement of 2. A closer mechanism for a door hinged to aframe member, said mechanism comprising a casing adapted to be mounteduponone of said members and a guide track adaptgjd to be mounted. uponthe other of said members, an aim having anend portion of generallycircular shape rotatably mounted in the casing and having a followeradjacent its other end slidably engaged with 7 .said track to efifectrotationot said arm about its pivot :when the door member is moved aboutits hinge,,a lever arm having a portion of generally circular shaperotatably mounted in the casing adjacent the: generally circular endportionjot said firstarm, said arms beingmounted on spaced substantiallyparallel axes, a spring in the eas- 3. A-closer mechanism for a doormember hinged to a trarne' member, said mechanism? comprising a casingadapted to be mounted upon one of said members and a guide track adaptedto be mounted upon the other of said members, an arm having an endportion of generally circular shape rotatably mounted in the casing andhaving a follower adjacent its other end slidably engaged with saidtrack to effect rotation of said arm about its pivot when the doormember is moved about its hinge, a lever arm having a portion ofgenerally circular shape rotatably mounted in the casing adjacent thegenerally circular end portion of said first arm, said arms beingmounted on spaced substantially parallel axes, a spring in the casingbiasing said lever arm in one direction, one of said generally circularportions having a projection on its periphery and the other having arecess in its periphery to receive said projection to eifectinterengagement of said members during-a part only of their rotativemovement.

4. Mechanism for controlling the movement of a movable member hinged toa stationary member, said mechanism comprising a casing secured to oneof said members, an arm pivoted to the casing, a spring actuating saidarm, a second arm pivoted to the casing and slidably connected to theother member to be moved about its pivot when said movable member ismoved about its hinge, said arms having generally'circular portionsadjacent their pivots, the peripheries of which portions are in closejuxtaposition, and means on the peripheries of each of said portionsconnecting said arms during a predetermined part of the movement of saidsecond arm by movement of said movable hinged member whereby the firstof said arms will be rotated by the second against the resistance ofsaid spring and thereafter disconnect said arms for unopposed movementof the movable member on its hinge, the slidable connection of thesecond arm with the other member comprising a guide track secured tosaid other member and a pin loosely carried by the arm and slidablyreceivedin said track,

5. Mechanism for controlling the movement of a movable member hinged toa stationary member, said mechanism comprising a casing secured to oneof said members, an arm pivoted to the casing, a spring actuating saidarm, a second arm pivoted to the casing and slidably connected to theother member to be moved about its hinge, said arms having generallycircular portions ad- 7 jacent their pivots, the peripheries of whichportions are in close juxtaposition, and means on the peripheries ofeach of said portions connecting said arms during a predetermined partof the movement of said second arm by movement of said movable hingedmember whereby the first of said arms will be rotated by the secondagainst the resistance of said spring and thereafter disconnect saidarms for unopposed movement of the movable member on 7 its hinge, theslidable connection of the second arm with the other member comprising aguide track secured to said other member and a pin loosely mounted insaid in said track. 7

arm and having a head upon one end thereof slidably engaged in saidtrack, the pin having a similar head upon the other end thereof wherebysaid arm may be reversed in position and the last-named head engagedReferences Cited in the'file of this patent "UNITED STATES PATENTS969,150

7 Andersen Sept. 6, 1910 2,626,420. Lambertet al. Jan. 27, 19532,653,043 Carlson. Sept; 22, 1953 'j FOREIGN PATENTS- Germany Mar. 21,1913

